Archives for April 2018

Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my March 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for March 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

I listened to this on Audible, as Mike and I have shared our libraries with each other, and he had purchased it. As I’ve stated in several previous blog posts, I’m a big fan of Jon Krakauer, so it wasn’t a hardship for me. 😉 Anyway, this book is about a murder in Utah, and the history and current status of the Mormon church(es). It’s fascinating, and also prompted me to think about how I view religion in general. Another well done book by Krakauer.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

2018 PopSugar Challenge: A past Goodreads Choice winner

This novel was a bit slow for me to get into, but with all of the buzz surrounding it, I knew that I wanted to stick it out. And then once I did get into it, my Overdrive loan expired, so I had to wait a bit to pick it back up. Ultimately I was impressed with how the story wove together, and all of the different brands of crazy from each of the characters (especially the ones who seem so put together at the outset).

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

2018 PopSugar Challenge: A microhistory

After seeing the movie by the same name, I knew that I wanted to read the book. And the book was wonderful. It is not a novel, and so there is a whole lot more detail about the different women who worked for NASA and its precursor. It was fascinating to see how NASA shaped civil rights and women’s rights, and just how much of the science and math was literally done by hand in the 1960s. This book is worth the read, but be aware that it’s not terribly like the movie, in that the movie focuses on a tiny sliver of what is in the book.

The Hamilton Affair by Elizabeth Cobbs

This was the March pick for our book club. I’d never heard of it before it was chosen. And after reading it, I noticed several read-alike type books in the book store. I can’t speak for the quality of the others, but this was an engaging read. It prompted quite a lot of discussion about Alexander Hamilton and his relationship with his wife Eliza and marriage in general, our views of the founders of our nation, and race relations. I enjoyed this book.

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

2018 PopSugar Challenge: A book that involves a bookstore or library

This is a short book that I listened to in one sitting on Audible, whilst driving across Nebraska. It is a series of letters between Helene Hanff and the book sellers at Marks and Co. over the course of 20 years. I was initially a bit appalled with Helene’s letters to the book sellers, but then later found here to be more endearing. The ending of the book quite literally made me cry. I loved this book, and will probably listen to it again at some point. I recommend it, especially for fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

As an attorney who practices in juvenile law representing children and representing parents in various cases, the story in this memoir was gutting. That no one stepped in and stopped the parents from having these children (in the many locations that they lived in, with neglect occurring over the course of years) bothers me very much, as it indicates a failure of our society to protect its most vulnerable citizens–its children. As for the book itself, I would have appreciated more time being spent on her adulthood. It was fascinating to me how she pulled herself out of the cycle of poverty and substance abuse, and I would have liked to have read more about that, as well as about how she related to her siblings and her parents afterwards. I’m glad I read this book, but don’t want to read it again, as it feels too much like the sad, terrible situations I deal with at work on a regular basis.

Wuthering Heights (Graphic Classics) by Emily Bronte, Illustrated by Nick Spencer, retold by Jim Pipe

Having read Wuthering Heights many years ago, I really enjoyed this retelling in graphic novel form. These books are short and designed to introduce young readers to the classics. The artwork was lovely and haunting, which complements the subject matter.

Walden on Wheels: On The Open Road from Debt to Freedom by Ken Ilgunas

I’m a fan of travelogues and travel memoirs, and this book fits firmly into that category. I listened to it on Audible, and it complemented the experience of the book. The book is about a young man who goes into debt in college, then is looking for employment during the worst of the recession. He ends up in Alaska working low wage jobs that include room and board to pay it off. He decides to go to graduate school at Duke, but doesn’t want to go back into debt. To accomplish this, he lives in a van. It is extremely interesting to hear his point of view and his experience. But at some points, he was a bit preachy and judgemental of those (like me) who have made the decision that a certain level of student loan debt to accomplish my goals and end up in the career field of my choice (the law) is acceptable. And he seems to assume that no one goes into college thinking about minimizing their debt load by making practical choices (such as going to a state college, applying for as many grants and scholarships as possible, working during summers and during the school year to pay for living expenses). So I definitely don’t agree with all if Ilgunas’s conclusions and decisions, but I do respect his point of view.

The Portrait by Iain Pears

This short novel is written entirely as a monologue of an artist speaking to an art critic that he hasn’t seen in many years, but who has sought him out for a portrait. It is an experience to read. And I definitely did not see the ending coming.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard

2018 PopSugar Challenge: A book set at sea

Another of Mike’s Audible purchases, this one was prompted by our trip to the Bahamas. While there, we visited the pirate museum and learned a bit about the pirates who called the Bahamas and the Caribbean home, and the brief time period when the Bahamas were controlled by the pirates. This book is a much more in-depth look at particular pirates and about the time period. It is well done.

Books in Progress:

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking by Priscilla Shirer (my bible study is working through this book one chapter at a time)

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

Six Stories: A Thriller by Matt Wesolowski

Books Abandoned:

Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin